UBP wants independent hedge fund administrators

Reuters – Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privee (UBP) may pull client money out of hedge funds unless they set up independent administrators, the Financial Times said on Wednesday.

The Geneva-based bank, one of the world’s largest investors in hedge funds, declined to comment on the report, which cited an internal memo to instruct managers.

Investors have blamed the absence of independent administrators as a key factor in Bernard Madoff’s success in setting up an alleged fraudulent Ponzi or pyramid scheme. Madoff was arrested earlier this month on accusations of a $50 billion fraud.